Multidimensional method and computer system for patent and technology portfolio rating and related database

Abstract

A predetermined number of manifest or measurable variables is extracted from each of a plurality of patent documents obtained from a data base or another source and from these manifest variables four or more first order latent variables are defined comprising: knowledge stock, technological scope, international scope and patent value for each patent document and a dependency or causality relationship between the manifest and latent variables and between latent variables is defined. In order to rank the patent documents a PLS Path model operable on the manifest variables is constructed taking into account the latent variables and defined relationships among them, and by applying said PLS Path model the value of the latent variables and the dependency relationship between manifest and latent variables and between latent variables is estimated and the value of the latent variables estimated is used to rank the patent documents.

1 . A computer implemented multidimensional method for patent and technology portfolio rating comprising:
 selecting a large group of patent documents from a database or other source;   extracting a predetermined number of manifest variables or indicators from each of the patent documents;   defining for each patent document from a selected number of said manifest variables at least the following four underlying first order latent variables:   knowledge stock,   technological scope,   international scope, and   patent value and further defining a dependency or causality relationship between said manifest and latent variables and between latent variables;   constructing a PLS Path model operable on said manifest variables taking into account said latent variables and defined relationships among them and obtaining the value of said latent variables and the dependency relationship between manifest and latent variables and between latent variables; and   using said obtained values of the latent variables to construct a rank of the selected patent documents.   
     
     
         2 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein said extracting comprises collecting indicators from the patent documents. 
     
     
         3 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein said large group comprises at least 100 patent documents. 
     
     
         4 . A method, according to  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the significance level of the obtained relationship values of said latent/manifest variables by resampling techniques. 
     
     
         5 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein knowledge stock is evaluated from at least the following patent indicators: backwards citations and the number of inventors and wherein other indicators as the number of applicants can also be used. 
     
     
         6 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein technological scope is evaluated from at least the number of claims and the number of technological areas where the patent is protected. 
     
     
         7 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein international scope is estimated from dummy variables, to consider whether the invention has been protected in the major market related with the technical fields of the invention during the priority period or international phase period. 
     
     
         8 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein patent value is evaluated using as indicator at least the number of occasions that patent is cited. 
     
     
         9 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein for each patent document is defined a further first order latent variable comprising the market value of an applicant or owner of said patent document, defining its manifest variables from economical indicators as total asset and R&D expenditures of the applicant or owner and also defining the dependency relationship between said manifest and latent variable and between said market value variable and previous latent variables. 
     
     
         10 . A method, according to  claim 1 , wherein for each patent document is defined a further first order latent variable consisting on the technological usefulness of an applicant or owner of said patent document, defining its manifest variables from patent indicators as at least forward citations (reflective relation), also defining the dependency relationship between said manifest and latent variable and between said technological usefulness variable and previous latent variables, patent value being then a second order latent variable. 
     
     
         11 . A method, according to  claim 8 , wherein said indicators used to evaluate said first order latent variable further include the number of oppositions and/or the number of times that a patent is renewed and/or the number of countries where the patent is protected or the size of patent family. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein for each patent document is defined a further first order latent variable consisting on the market value of an applicant or owner of said patent document, defining its manifest variables from economical indicators as total asset and R&D expenditures of the applicant or owner and also defining the dependency relationship between said manifest and latent variable and between said market value variable and previous latent variables. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein a multiple imputation technique is used to solve the problem of missing values in economical data for said economical indicators. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein a hierarchical component model is used to solve the problem of second order latent variable repeating manifest variables of first-order latent variables for the second-order latent variable. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises at least:
 a patent index value of the patent portfolio obtained by adding the estimated value of each patent or obtained for each applicant or owner;   knowledge stock index value;   technological scope index value obtained by the addition of technological scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   international scope index value obtained by the addition of International scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   technological usefulness index value, obtained by the addition of the technological usefulness units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others,   
       said indexes allowing a comparison between two companies or technological areas among others. 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises:
 a priori index value of technology estimated considering at least the knowledge stock, technological scope and international scope of the invention; and   a posteriori index value of technology estimated considering at least the technological usefulness and wherein the market value of applicant or owner can be also used.   
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein a matrix ordered by patents or a matrix ordered by applicant or owner is used to construct said rank. 
     
     
         18 . A computer system that implements the method described in  claim 1 , comprising a data input device, a device for data processing and a data output device. 
     
     
         19 . A database for use with the method of  claim 9 , wherein economical data obtained from the applicants or companies owning the patent documents is used to feed the market value variable. 
     
     
         20 . A method, according to  claim 10 , wherein said indicators used to evaluate said first order latent variable further include the number of oppositions and/or the number of times that a patent is renewed and/or the number of countries where the patent is protected or the size of patent family. 
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein a multiple imputation technique is used to solve the problem of missing values in economical data for said economical indicators. 
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein a hierarchical component model is used to solve the problem of second order latent variable repeating manifest variables of first-order latent variables for the second-order latent variable. 
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises at least:
 a patent index value of the patent portfolio obtained by adding the estimated value of each patent or obtained for each applicant or owner;   knowledge stock index value;   technological scope index value obtained by the addition of technological scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   international scope index value obtained by the addition of International scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   technological usefulness index value, obtained by the addition of the technological usefulness units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others,   
       said indexes allowing a comparison between two companies or technological areas among others. 
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises at least:
 a patent index value of the patent portfolio obtained by adding the estimated value of each patent or obtained for each applicant or owner;   knowledge stock index value;   technological scope index value obtained by the addition of technological scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   international scope index value obtained by the addition of International scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   technological usefulness index value, obtained by the addition of the technological usefulness units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others,   
       said indexes allowing a comparison between two companies or technological areas among others. 
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises at least:
 a patent index value of the patent portfolio obtained by adding the estimated value of each patent or obtained for each applicant or owner;   knowledge stock index value;   technological scope index value obtained by the addition of technological scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   international scope index value obtained by the addition of International scope units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others;   technological usefulness index value, obtained by the addition of the technological usefulness units of the inventions and estimated by applicant among others,   
       said indexes allowing a comparison between two companies or technological areas among others. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises:
 a priori index value of technology estimated considering at least the knowledge stock, technological scope and international scope of the invention; and   a posteriori index value of technology estimated considering at least the technological usefulness and wherein the market value of applicant or owner can be also used.   
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises:
 a priori index value of technology estimated considering at least the knowledge stock, technological scope and international scope of the invention; and   a posteriori index value of technology estimated considering at least the technological usefulness and wherein the market value of applicant or owner can be also used.   
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein a set of indexes is obtained either by patent or by applicant or owner, including an index of value estimated from explicit estimation of latent variables that PLS makes from the manifest variables and other indexes of value estimated from an explicit estimation of the latent variables that PLS makes from the outer estimation, and wherein said set of indexes comprises:
 a priori index value of technology estimated considering at least the knowledge stock, technological scope and international scope of the invention; and   a posteriori index value of technology estimated considering at least the technological usefulness and wherein the market value of applicant or owner can be also used.   
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein a matrix ordered by patents or a matrix ordered by applicant or owner is used to construct said rank. 
     
     
         30 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein a matrix ordered by patents or a matrix ordered by applicant or owner is used to construct said rank. 
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein a matrix ordered by patents or a matrix ordered by applicant or owner is used to construct said rank. 
     
     
         32 . A computer system that implements the method described in  claim 9 , comprising a data input device, a device for data processing and a data output device. 
     
     
         33 . A computer system that implements the method described in  claim 10 , comprising a data input device, a device for data processing and a data output device. 
     
     
         34 . A computer system that implements the method described in  claim 12 , comprising a data input device, a device for data processing and a data output device. 
     
     
         35 . A computer system that implements the method described in  claim 16 , comprising a data input device, a device for data processing and a data output device. 
     
     
         36 . A computer system that implements the method described in  claim 17 , comprising a data input device, a device for data processing and a data output device.